Women of Excellence: Juanita Baranco

Juanita Baranco is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Baranco Automotive Group, which currently includes Mercedes-Benz of Buckhead and smartCenter Buckhead.

She and her husband, Gregory Baranco, founded the first Baranco car dealership in the metropolitan Atlanta area in 1978. Mrs. Baranco, along with her husband and former Ambassador Andrew Young, opened Mercedes Benz of Buckhead in Atlanta in June 2003.

Baranco earned her Bachelor of Science and Juris Doctorate degrees from Louisiana State University.

An active business leader, Baranco has been featured on several occasions in Georgia Trend magazine’s annual list of the “100 Most Influential Georgians.” She also has an impressive legal pedigree, having once served as Assistant Attorney General for the State of Georgia.

She has received numerous awards for her business and community activities, including recognition by the Dow Jones Company for entrepreneurial excellence and the first Trumpet Award recipient for entrepreneurial excellence. In 2001 she was inducted into the Georgia State University Business Hall of Fame.

Baranco serves on several boards and is Chairman of the Board at Clark Atlanta University.

Accomplished and fascinating women like Baranco are among 50 who will be honored by The Atlanta Daily World as “Women of Excellence” at an awards ceremony on Thursday, June 20 at 200 Peachtree from 3pm- 6pm. The public is invited to come to the event and meet them.